Free James The Turn of the Screw Essays and Papers Color Rating Henry James's "The Turn of the Screw": Are The Ghosts Actually Real? - Through out the short novella, 'The Turn of the Screw,' by Henry James, the governess continually has encounters with apparitions that seem to only appear to her. As Miles' behavior in school worsens so that he is prevented from returning, and as Flora becomes ill with a fever, the governess blames these ghosts for corrupting the children, Miles and Flora, and labels them as evil and manipulative forces in their lives. But why is it that these ghosts only seem to appear to the governess even when the children are present at the time of the sightings by the governess.... [tags: Turn of the Screw, Henry James] 956 words [preview] Henry James' The Turn of the Screw - Henry James' The Turn of the Screw Peter G. Beidler informs us that there have been “hundreds” of analyses of Henry James’ spine-tingling novella, The Turn of the Screw (189).

Norman Macleod suggests that James himself seems to be “an author intent on establishing a text that cannot be interpreted in a definite way” (Qtd in Beidler 198). Yet, the vast majority of analyses of The Turn of the Screw seem to revolve around two sub-themes: the reality of the ghosts and the death of Miles both of which are used to answer the question of the governess’s mental stability: is she a hero or a deranged lunatic.... [tags: Henry James Turn Screw Essays] :: 5 Works Cited [preview] Deconstructing Henry James' The Turn of the Screw - Deconstructing Henry James's The Turn of the Screw To those readers uninitiated to the infinite guises of critical literary theory, Henry James's The Turn of the Screw might be interpreted as a textbook case of an anxiety-ridden Governess fleeing an unpromising reality and running right into the vaporous arms of her imaginary ghosts. But to the seriously literate, the text is more than the story does or does not tell; it can be read in light of many - not just one - literary theories....

[tags: James Turn of the Screw Essays] 550 words [preview] Things are Not What they Seem to Be in Henry James’s The Turn of The Screw - Hidden subjects, the corruption of innocence, gender, and the destructiveness of heroism, can all be argued to be the main theme of The Turn of The Screw but only one can really bring the truest theme out of the story by Henry James. Many argue that there is no theme, or more than one but I believe that Forbidden subjects is truly the source that really captures what the story is all about. We can easily come to this conclusion by looking at the items in the story and piecing them together. For example, the young male child named Miles suddenly gets kicked out of school, but the reason for the expulsion is never uncovered.... [tags: The Turn of The Screw, Henry James] :: 6 Works Cited [preview] Ghosts in Henry James Turn of the Screw - The Turn of the Screw: Ghosts Lawrence Kramer poses some interesting ideas about Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw mainly by discussing the ghosts in the story.

He refers to the ghosts as revenants; “a specter, a ghost, a phantom, one who haunts, who returns, who walks again.” First, he implies that these revenants can only work when a person believes they exist. There must be something that makes a former person want to return to the living world from a state of death. However, this longing by the former person is not enough to make it a worthy revenant.... [tags: Henry James Turn Screw Essays] 633 words [preview] Narrative Frames and Ambiguity in Henry James' The Turn of The Screw - Narrative "frames" and Ambiguity in The Turn of The Screw Since it was written, Henry James' The Turn of The Screw has been acclaimed by numerous critics to be one of the most immaculate, engrossing and terrifying ghost stories ever produced. Harriet Waters Preston described it as, "a sheer mortal horror, like the evil dream of a man under the spell of a deadly drug"1, and Gertrude Atherton said, "[it] is the most horrifying ghost story ever written!"2 I will argue that it is the narrative frames enclosing The Turn of The Screw that are largely responsible for the reception the book has received....

[tags: Henry James Turn of the Screw] :: 6 Works Cited [preview] The Governess's Desire in Henry James's The Turn of the Screw - The Governess's Desire in Henry James's The Turn of the Screw Henry James's The Turn of the Screw paints a landscape that is ripe for psychoanalytic analysis. He has chosen language and syntax that symbolize his main character's psychological fragmentation and her futile attempt to mend herself. Many of Lacan's theories emerge as the Governess reveals her motivations through her recollective narrative. The Governess enters the Imaginary Stage of Lacan's psychoanalysis theory when she sees herself in the mirror on her first night at Bly.... [tags: James Turn of the Screw Essays] 574 words [preview] Writings in Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw - Writings in Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw Leon Edel, in his biography of Henry James, tells of an instance after Alice James’ death when Henry James discovered a collection of letters he had written to her. James, aware that researchers would be all too interested in the details revealed in the correspondences to his sister, destroyed them.

Writers who gain notoriety within their own lifetime become aware that every written word will be inspected. James knew that documents relating to an author can be important to prove intention in the author’s work, as well as to look at personal relationships, friendships, or simply to acquire the details of a specific event. He was fully infor... [tags: Henry James Turn Screw Essays] :: 15 Works Cited [preview] The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - The Turn of the Screw This novel was, surprisingly, interesting. The intensely complex and intricate (if not confusing!) sentences, upon first thought, made me expect an experience of complete, utter, and total confusion; however, they served not only to keep my interest in the novel – for I had to concentrate to grasp the full, rich meaning of his thoughts – but also to create in me a sense of enjoyment, that of being enriched with the experiences of the main character so that my life and that character's became inseparable, only it occurred not only with the main character, but with the entire plot at once – all characters, all scenes (to which I shall come late), all conversations......

[tags: The Turn of the Screw Henry James] 717 words [preview] An Unrequited Love in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - An Unrequited Love in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James In "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James, the main character, the governess, is so deluded and lonely that she will do anything necessary to reduce these horrifying feelings and not feel them. She decides that the way to do that is to possibly find love and instead she seems to have found a strange infatuation with her employer. But, sadly because she is located in a country house in Essex, such a longing is not possible to define. When the governess realizes this, she seems to apparently replace her unreciprocated feelings in the shape of ghostly spirits.... [tags: Turn Screw Henry James] 1245 words [preview] Downfall of the Governess in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - Downfall of the Governess in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James In the governess's insane pseudo-reality and through her chilling behavior, she managed to bring downfall to Flora and Miles, the children of Bly.

With compulsively obsessive actions, irrational assumptions, and demented hallucinations, the governess perceived ghosts bearing evil intentions were attempting to corrupt and destroy the children she had taken the role of care for. In reality, the governess herself brought tragedy to the children through her own selfishness and insanity.... [tags: American Literature Henry James Turn Screw Essays] 1288 words [preview] Supernatural Events in Henry James's "Turn of the Screw" - Turn of the Screw written by Henry James tells the story of a governess and her recollection of events at the country home of Bly. The story begins at a Christmas gathering where everyone is sharing different ghost stories around the fire. One man has a manuscript or diary of a former governess which details her experience at a “haunted house (302).” The audience begs for him to read it, and so he does. As soon as he begins to read the story, the book’s point of view shifts to the governess’s. Over the course of the governess’s interviews with her employer, she immediately falls in love with him.... [tags: Turn of the Screw,] 1006 words [preview] Hitchcock’s Psycho and Phoenix.

James’ The Turn of the Screw - The human body and mind are the most complex and intricate tools known to man. The connection between the two are remarkable, the way body feels pain and the mind is able to understand from where and how the pain is being formed, the way the body lags and drops when the mind does not have enough sleep and rest. Most curiously, it is the way our body and mind speak to each other without really knowing. It is the uncomfortable feeling in your chest, the tenseness of your shoulders and the goose-bumps on your arms that are the very basics of human intuition.... [tags: Psycho, The Turn of the Screw] 1560 words [preview] Sandy Welch's Adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw - “A literary adaptation creates a new story; it is not the same as the original, but takes on a new life, as indeed do the characters.” (12) Therefore when we are discussing and analysing the adaptation I do not find it necessary to discuss the issue of fidelity which has become a mere tedious discussion.

However, as “adaptations are a synergy between the desire for sameness and reproduction on the one hand, and, on the other, the acknowledgement of difference.” (Hayward) I do feel it is essential to compare the sameness and difference Sandy Welch uses in her glossic adaptation compared to the novel as this helps the reader to form an interpretation of the story or message it is trying to ach... [tags: The Turn of the Screw] :: 6 Works Cited [preview] Love in Henry James' Turn of the Screw - To Insanity in Pursuit of Love. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is usually read as a ghost story in which the central character, the governess, tries to save the souls of two children possessed by evil. However, the short-story can be also analyzed from many different perspectives, as we come upon a number of hints that lead to various understanding of certain scenes. One of the possible interpretations is the psychoanalytical one, in which we interpret the events either from the point of view of the governess or from the perspective of the two children....

[tags: Literary Analysis, Analytical Essay] 1791 words [preview] The Shifting Narratee in The Turn of the Screw - The Shifting Narratee in The Turn of the Screw In the essay "Introduction to the Study of the Narratee," Gerald Prince discusses the interpretative value of thinking about to whom a narrative is addressed. First, he establishes what a "zero-degree narratee" (or possessor of a minimum number of specific narratee characteristics identified by Prince) is and is not: A narratee is not the actual reader, the implied reader, or the ideal reader. The narratee is beholden to the narrator, because, "Without the assistance of the narrator, without his explanations and the information supplied by him, the narratee is able neither to interpret the value of an action or to grasp its repe... [tags: James Turn of the Screw Essays] :: 1 Works Cited [preview] A Psychological Perspective of The Turn of the Screw - A Psychological Perspective of The Turn of the Screw Henry James was one of the famous writers during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was known as an innovative and independent novelist.

One of James' novels, The Turn of the Screw (1898), has caused a lot of controversy among many critics, and each of them has had a particular interpretation. James' creative writing built a close connection between his novel and his readers. The reactions of the readers toward The Turn of the Screw can be researched psychologically by analyzing how James developed his story using questionable incidents, an unreliable narrator, unexpected changes, an interesting prologue, and effecti... [tags: Henry James Turn Screw Essays] :: 6 Works Cited [preview] The Turn of the Screw - A Look at a Criticism - The Turn of the Screw - A Look at a Criticism There are many different ways to interpret The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James. Many critics over the past century have voiced their opinions about the story. Each critical analysis of the story disagrees with the beliefs expressed in another. Robert B. Heilman is a critic who wrote in the mid-twentieth century. He interprets The Turn of the Screw to be a representation of the conflict between good and evil. Heilman's points are clear and obviously well thought out, but there are flaws in his argument that make his interpretation questionable....

[tags: Henry James Turn Screw Essays] 1127 words [preview] The Delusional Governess in Henry James' The Turn of the Screw - The existence of the ghosts in The Turn of the Screw has always been in debate. Instead of directly discussing whether the ghosts are real or not, this essay will focus on the reliability of the governess, the narrator of the story. After making a close examination of her state of mind while she is at Bly, readers of The Turn of the Screw will have many more clues to ponder again and to decide to what extent the governess can be believed. While critics like Heilman argue that there are problems with the interpretation that the governess was psychopathic, textual evidence incorporated with scientific research show that the governess did go through a period of psychical disorder that caused he... [tags: The Turn of the Screw Essays] 2431 words [preview] The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw is a metacritical novella that has caused a plethora of debates among critics over decades of time since 1898 due to the multiplicity in perceptions in regards to the connection between the frame and the narrative.

These discussions revolved around the pivotal notion of the ghosts and their existence in the home of Bly, which, when established, serves as a basis for the interpretation of the role of the frame and its characters. Although this enthralling tale contains perplexing turns and can be scrutinized from many different perspectives for its boundless critical controversies, the debates have focused mainly on two views: the apparitionists and the non-... [tags: metacritical novella, apparitionists] :: 3 Works Cited [preview] Protecting Miles and Flora in The Turn of the Screw - Protecting Miles and Flora in The Turn of the Screw “I saw my service so strongly and simply. I was there to protect and defend the little creatures…” The governess sees it as her duty to protect Miles and Flora. What do they need protection from and how does Henry James illustrate this in his novel “The Turn of the Screw”. Henry James’s ‘Turn of the Screw’ can be interpreted in many different ways. He constructed his novel in order to make allusions to sexual topics, (without stating anything explicitly) madness, ghosts and the Victorian society....

[tags: Henry James The Turn of the Screw Essays] 2235 words [preview] A Young Woman's Fantasy in The Turn of the Screw - A Young Woman's Fantasy in The Turn of the Screw The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, is an odd story about a young woman who, leaving her small country home for the first time, takes a job as a governess in a wealthy household. Shortly after her arrival, she begins to suffer from insomnia and fancies that she sees ghosts roaming about the grounds. James is a master story-teller and, at times, the complexities of the story make it difficult to follow. The Turn of the Screw is a story within a story, the tale of the governess being read aloud as a ghost story among friends. Harold C.... [tags: Henry James Turn Screw Essays] :: 4 Works Cited [preview] Finding Meaning in The Turn of The Screw, by Henry James - At first glance, Bly appears to be a rather lonely place. The vividly bleak backdrop for The Turn of the Screw houses a handful of servants, two orphaned children, and ghosts who fade in and out of view.

But there are others present who are less obtrusive yet just as influential as Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. Peering into and out of Bly's windows and mirrors, engaging with the text and the lingering trace of author Henry James, a crowd of real and virtual readers hope to catch a glimpse of a specter or to unravel a clever Freudian slipknot that will tell them something: They may be looking for that which they think James intended as the text's truth - a transcendental center... [tags: The Turn of The Screw] :: 5 Works Cited [preview] The Freudian Id in The Turn of the Screw - Henry James was one of America's most brilliant and fascinating writers. He uses language to tap into the reader's subconscious and always has them wanting more. This sensation is no more prevalent than in his thriller The Turn of the Screw. In this intense psychological thriller, the main character releases her own sexual frustration into the illusions of two ghosts that haunt a quiet country manor. The Freudian Id plays out in the fantasies of Peter Quint and Mrs. Jessel and the governess's own repressed feelings overrun her every thought....

[tags: The Turn of the Screw Henry James] :: 1 Works Cited [preview] Escaping the Governess in The Turn of the Screw - Escaping the Governess in The Turn of the Screw At the end of The Turn of the Screw, great ambiguity exists surrounding Miles's death because serious questions remain about the credibility of the Governess who was the original author of the story. The ambiguity lies with the question of whom Miles was saved from at the end of the novel: the Governess or Quint. At the end of the novel the Governess holds Miles dead body in her arms and says, "...he has lost you for ever... We were alone with the quiet day, and his little heart, dispossessed, had stopped" (***).... [tags: Henry James Turn Screw Essays] 2390 words [preview] Narration in The Turn of the Screw - Narration in The Turn of the Screw Henry James makes the governess the narrator because she keeps the readers’ interest by also being involved in the story as a main character. However, being involved on this personal level, it can make the governess exaggerate at times and be over-emotional.

Her determined and curious nature makes her an ideal candidate to explore the mysterious happenings, however her imagination keeps the reader in suspense, as we are never sure how much she has exaggerated the story.... [tags: The Turn of the Screw Henry James Essays] 1616 words [preview] The Turn of the Screw - The Turn of the Screw "I must take my horrid plunge" from the opening line sets the tone of the passage. The novel's gothic form is revealed very early on in the passage. There is a distinctive differentiation between horror and terror derived from the studies of Radcliffe. "Terror" is when one induces to action and "horror" is when one is "powerless" and "freezes" as a result of it. The Governess' horrid plunge is a forced action, as she is powerless to combat the supernatural forces that oppose her....

[tags: Gothic The Turn of the Screw Henry James Essays] 1071 words [preview] The Importance of Chapter Six in The Turn of the Screw - The Importance of Chapter Six in The Turn of the Screw Chapter Six is an important section of The Turn of the Screw, as it involves many of the themes of the story, as well as reflecting its general narrative structure. James' novel is phenomenally complex; it has an incredible ambiguity to it, which allows for some very outlandish and far-fetched ideas to be formulated. A 'theme' can almost be drawn from almost every other sentence, if one so desires. It is deciding which issues have a little more to them than there may seem at first and which are what they appear, nothing more, which is difficult.... [tags: Henry James Turn Screw Essays] 1443 words [preview] Contradiction in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - The Turn of the Screw, a ghost story novella by Henry James, was first published in 1898. It is described as a masterpiece in storytelling, and because of how it creates an atmosphere of terror; it is considered a central text in the horror genre.

The story is about a guest named Douglas reading to other guests a story from a written record. An unknown narrator remembers some friends gathering at an old house to listen to one another’s ghost stories, and then introduces Douglas, who tells them about a story that involves two children and a governess.... [tags: Horror, Novel, Ghost] :: 1 Works Cited [preview] Terror in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - The Turn of the Screw, a ghost story novella by Henry James, was first published in 1898. It is described as a masterpiece in storytelling, and because of how it creates an atmosphere of terror; it is considered a central text in the horror genre. The story is about a guest named Douglas reading to other guests a story from a written record. An unknown narrator remembers some friends gathering at an old house to listen to one another’s ghost stories, and then introduces Douglas, who tells them about a story that involves two children and a governess.... [tags: Truth, Narrator, Scary] :: 4 Works Cited [preview] The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - How far does The Turn of the Screw conform to the conventions of the Victorian ghost story genre.

What alternative interpretations does it lend itself to. ‘The Turn of the Screw’ was written by Henry James in the nineteenth century, when the belief that living people were in contact with the dead was prevalent. In the Victorian era the advance of science was undermining religious beliefs, because evolutionists were saying that the world had not been created in 4004BC, as the bible suggests. Therefore, the possibility of contacting the spirits restored some faith in the non-material world.... [tags: English Literature] 1929 words [preview] Examining the Impact of Social Class in Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw - Examining the Impact of Social Class in James’s The Turn of the Screw Throughout the latter half of the second millennium, horror fiction, or horror fantasy, began to emerge as an overwhelmingly popular literary tool utilized by various authors across the globe. In the late 18th, 19th and 20th century specifically, gothic horror and horror literature manifested themselves as one of the most desired literary genres, representing some of the most well-known authors and works of the time.

The works of Edgar Allen Poe and others were extremely popular among 19th century readers as they brought horror literature to the mainstream and exposed the world to a unique and re-defined form of entertain... [tags: horror fiction, gender issues] :: 1 Works Cited [preview] Turn Of The Screw By Henry James - Turn of the Screw by: Henry James After reading 'The Turn of the Screw';, by Henry James, I was left with many unanswered questions. The two main questions are, are the ghosts in the story real, or are they just figments of the narrator's imagination. When I read though the essays of criticism, I took a stand on one particular argument. I took a stand that supports the argument that the ghosts are real. In this story we see many strange things taking place at a house on Harley Street in a town called Bly.... [tags: essays research papers] 1107 words [preview] Turn of the Screw by Henry James - Turn of the Screw by Henry James Was James' novel an allegory for corruption of the innocent, or a straight forward ghost story.

The question of whether the ‘Bly Ghosts' existed or not in Henry James' ‘Turn of the Screw' has been a debate of literary criticism that has run on for most of the novel's existence. The ‘first person' narration of the novel means that, apart from the prologue, we see events from the Governesses's side only, and from the beginning, we are led to believe that she has had an uneventful life without her character being called into question.... [tags: Papers] 2567 words [preview] Gender Criticism and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - Gender Criticism and The Turn of the Screw The Turn of the Screw by Henry James continues to stir up an immense amount of controversy for such a short novel. Making a definite, educated decision on the actual truth considering the countless inquiries that develop while reading this story proves more difficult than winning a presidential election. That being understood, taking one particular side on any argument from a close reading of the story seems impossible, because the counter argument appears just as conceivable....

[tags: ghost, servant, governess] :: 2 Works Cited [preview] Ambiguous Issues: Throughout the Turn of the Screw by Henry James - Throughout The turn of the Screw by Henry James, the theme of ambiguous issues is constantly leaving the reader on their own. The ambiguity and uncertainty within this text causes the readers to come up with their own theories as to what the text really means. The ghost story perspective only adds to the infuriating vagueness. The title itself is about all of the twists within this story and basically foreshadows the confusion that the text will cause. In The turn of the Screw, the characters often communicated very indirectly with one another, hinting toward certain situations but never explaining them fully.... [tags: governess, miles, flora] :: 1 Works Cited [preview] Marxist Interpretation of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - OPINION: GHOSTS REAL Interpreting The Turn of the Screw by Henry James from a Marxist point of view brings about serious social class distinctions and consequences of violation within that code. Miles and the unnamed Governess’ relationship demonstrate the wrongdoing of social and legal norms.

The Governess’ indeterminate social status leave her as a forbidden woman in Victorian society taking on the role of primary caretaker to children, while Miles embodies the character of the absent master to whom the Governess feels intimately attracted.... [tags: Literary Analysis, Marxism] 856 words [preview] Is Henry James' The turn of the Screw a traditional ghost story? - Is Henry James' The turn of the Screw a traditional ghost story. Ghost stories are found way back in history, some dating back to the Victorian times. The Victorians were known to be greatly interested in ghosts and the supernatural and showed this fascination through telling ghost stories. The telling of ghost stories was used as a way of entertainment especially around Christmas time and it was also very common for upper class Victorians to participate in seances where they would try to make contact with the ghosts/spirits of their dead loved ones....

[tags: English Literature] 1520 words [preview] A Nineteenth Century Ghost Story in The Turn of The Screw by Henry James - A Nineteenth Century Ghost Story in The Turn of The Screw by Henry James The Turn of The Screw is a classic Gothic ghost novella with a wicket twist set in a grand old house at Bly. The story is ambiguous; we never fully know whether the apparitions exist or not and we are left with many more questions than answers. The Governess is left in charge of two young children, Miles and Flora, of whom she later becomes obsessed with, describing them as 'angelic'. She has no contact with her employer from London, the children's enigmatic uncle once there, sparking suspicions of the children being unwanted.... [tags: Henry James Papers Gothic] 5505 words [preview] The Turn of the Screw - Henry James and Benjamin Britten - Pliny says that in the desarts of Africk, you shall meet oftentimes with fairies appearing in the shape of men and women, but they vanish quite away like phantastical delusions. John Aubrey's apparitions don't often behave like ordinary phantastical delusions.

The Laird Bocconi appeared to his friend Lord Middleton imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Worcester, under three locks. My Lord Middleton asked him if he were dead or alive. He said dead, and that he was a ghost; and told him, that within three days he should escape, and he did so, in his wife's clothes.... [tags: Comparative Literature] 2295 words [preview] Comparing Equality in Henry James' The Turn of the Screw and Edith Wharton's The Lady's Maid's Bell - The Theme of Equality in Henry James' The Turn of the Screw and Edith Wharton's The Lady's Maid's Bell Henry James' The Turn of the Screw and Edith Wharton's "The Lady's Maid's Bell" share a common theme: all people are equal. Both authors generate this theme by bridging class barriers with a generous master and mistress who have revolutionary ideas. Although circumstances differ in both stories, the common theme remains easily discernable with the words and actions of both Mrs. Brympton in "The Lady's Maid's Bell" and the young master, Miles in The Turn of the Screw....

[tags: comparison compare contrast essays] :: 3 Works Cited [preview] The Turn of the Screw - Love Between the Classes: An Analysis of Social Status Violation in The Turn of the Screw A Marxist reading of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James brings to light how social status differences and above all how the violation of these distinctions affect the story. The relationship between the governess and Miles is a clear example of this kind of transgression. As an unnamed character, the governess has an indefinite social status. She is neither an upper-class lady nor a simple servant. Moreover, in the Victorian context of the story, she is, as Millicent Bell writes, a “tabooed woman” (“Class” 95).... [tags: Analysis, Henry James] 1344 words [preview] The Turn of the Screw - Superficially, Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw seems to reinforce the status quo of American literature as male, whereby men are viewed as having power over women leaving women to become mere objects. James creates a nameless female protagonist whose story is told through the guise of a male narrator.

She becomes an object viewed by Douglas’s audience and is used simply as means for the master on Harley Street to avoid being bothered by his charges. She is then set up as naïve and love-struck, willing to do just about anything, including risking her own sanity, for the sake of keeping the master undisturbed.... [tags: Literary Analysis, Henry James] 1164 words [preview] The Role of Sexuality in Turn of the Screw - Henry James's Turn of the Screw was written in a time when open sexuality was looked down upon. On the surface, the story is simply about a governess taking care of two children who are haunted by two ghosts. However, the subtext of the story is about the governess focusing on the children's innocence, and the governess trying to find her own sexual identity. Priscilla L. Walton wrote a gender criticism themed essay about the Turn of the Screw, which retells certain parts of the story and touches on the significance they provide for the sexually explicit theme....

[tags: Henry James, argumentative, persuasive] 845 words [preview] Turn of the Screw: A Cigar is Just a Cigar - Ambiguity by definition is an attribute of any concept, idea, and statement or claims whose meaning, intention or interpretation cannot be definitively resolved according to the rules of or process consisting of a finite number of steps. And ambiguity in plays can make the reader think in ways never thought possible, the many different meanings and outcomes. Similar to Sigmund Freud and his dream theory of not everything in a dream has relevance, cigar in a dream could mean a falase or it could be just a cigar.... [tags: ambiguity, henry james, dream theory] 675 words [preview] The Nameless Governess in The Turn of the Screw: Hero or Villain? - Something is amiss in Bly. The nameless Governess has always been a person of interest in literature. She has been analyzed time and time again from a trusting standpoint; taking everything she says at face value. Taken with no thought of deception and that ghosts are real and the Governess’ is attempting to protect Miles, not harm him.

Also from a psychological or Freudian perspective indicating she was mentally disturbed and kills Miles. Whether the Governess was simply a confused youth, thrust into a position beyond her ability and is further saddled with the tasks of protecting her two charges with ghosts or a manipulative shrew who means nothing but harm to those around her because her... [tags: The Turn of the Screw] :: 7 Works Cited [preview] Critical Response to the Turn of the Screw - Henry James’ novella the Turn of the Screw is a highly ambiguous piece of fiction. Set in Edwardian England, a very naïve woman is left in charge of two young children. The beautiful Bly however appears to be hiding a few dark secrets. The appearance of two ghosts plays on the governess’ mind, she comes to the conclusion the children are in danger and being possessed by these two horrors. Throughout the novella James successfully creates a mystical atmosphere, his ambiguous style forces us to think twice about what is written and decide for ourselves whether or not this is purely a ghost story or something far more sinister....

[tags: Henry James] 861 words [preview] Ambiguity In the Turn of the Screw; Creating Simultaneous Meaning - At the time of its publication “The Turn of the Screw” was hailed as “a deliberate, powerful, and horribly successful study of the magic of evil” (book 170). It was, in essence, the perfect ghost story. In more recent years, critics have moved away from simply considering the “horror” of the tale. Instead, criticism has focused on the meaning or interpretation of the text. Overall, the accumulation of criticism can be classified into two distinct camps of interpretation. The first of these camps reads the text at face value as a ghost story in the Gothic tradition.... [tags: henry james, gothic tradition, ghost story] :: 9 Works Cited [preview] Sexual Passion in The Turn of the Screw - Sexual Passion in The Turn of the Screw In a criticism on Henry James’s story The Turn of the Screw, Strother Purdy suggests that large amounts of sexual passion may be assumed to exist underneath the surface of the narrative.

Purdy says that under a Freudian interpretation of the story, the sexual element is easily recognized and is used as the whole source of the action. According to this theory, the governess wishes to impress her master because she is in love with him and, therefore, exceeeding her authority with the children.... [tags: Turn of the Screw Essays] 430 words [preview] Turn of the screw - “The Turn of the Screw” Henry James, the famous author of ‘The Turn of the Screw’ was born on April 15, 1843 to his wealthy parents Henry James and Mary Walsh. His father, also called Henry James, was an Irish immigrant and by the time his own children were born he had inherited a lot of money from his father; and at this time Henry James senior and his family were living in New York. Henry James author of ‘The Turn Of The Screw’ was one of five children and had an older brother William who was born in 1942 he had four younger siblings also; Garth Wilkinson born 1845, Robertson born 1846 and Alice born 1848....

[tags: essays research papers] 2738 words [preview] Archetype Myths in Turn of the Screw - Archetype Myths in Turn of the Screw In one surface reading of Henry James’s Turn of the Screw, the governess appears to be a victim of circumstance. Some critics however, say that she is not without blame in the turn of events that characterizes the story. They claim that leading to her demise are certain character flaws, such as envy and pride. In categorizing her character as such, this novella resonates several themes found throughout literature. In Northrop Frye’s essay The Archetypes of Literature, Frye suggests that there appears to be a relatively restricted and simple group of formulas in literature.... [tags: essays papers] 1120 words [preview] Comparing Ambiguity in The Turn of the Screw and The Innocents - Ambiguity in The Turn of the Screw and The Innocents How successfully does the black-and-white film version of The Turn of the Screw, The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961), render the ambiguity of James' original text.

Ambiguity, the art of deliberately creating something that can have more than one meaning, lends itself to the written word without difficulty. A written story can involve ambiguity in the characters, plot, narrative - every factor in the story can have to it a sense of uncertainty.... [tags: comparison compare contrast essays] 2798 words [preview] The Turn of the Screw: An Ambivalent Text? - “The Turn of the Screw is essentially an ambivalent text. Its narrative prompts divergent, even opposite readings, but does not reconcile them. What happens remains irrevocably uncertain” The former recorded statement will be debated to establish its validity, in addition to doing so it shall be illustrated my means of closely analysis the text as well as referring to a key passage within the novella. In order to debate the statement provided it is firstly important to determine whether or not The Turn of the Screw is in fact an ambivalent text....

[tags: Literary Analysis] :: 1 Works Cited [preview] The Last Turn of the Crew: A “Battle” between the Governess and Miles - Henry James’ the Turn of the Screw, written in the Victoria era, tells a ghost story of a governess’s experience with two children in the house. By presenting the story in a symbolic way, the ambiguous narrative of the ghost story suggests an inner conflict of immorality and innocence in the governess. It also seems to imply a loss of insanity and a tragedy as a result of the oppression of desire. This paper will argue that chapter 23 is the most crucial part of the story, because it is the first moment the Governess found the weakness of the ghosts and has a real confrontation with the ghost indirectly through Miles.... [tags: Literary Analysis, Henry James] 1352 words [preview] A Comparison of Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw - Hamlet vs. The Turn of the Screw Although Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw are very different works, both William Shakespeare and Henry James use the themes of love and ghosts to complicate their work.

By having these themes, both authors make the readers question and wonder if the accounts the characters are having really exist. Are these two main characters, Hamlet and the governess , mentally ill or does the stories explain their actions. The most obvious commonality, between Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw, is the use of ghosts.... [tags: comparison compare contrast essays] 581 words [preview] The Missing Screw - The Turn of the Screw by Henry James can be interpreted in two main ways; as a psychological thriller or a ghost story. In the book, the central character and one of the narrators, the governess, has convinced herself that the children, Miles and Flora, are seeing apparitions. Another explanation is that she herself created these images through her madness. The governess desires so much to be loved that she drives herself insane. The author also does a good job of convincing the reader that the ghosts of Miss Jessel and Peter Quint are “real.” Yet, I believe differently....

[tags: essays research papers] 710 words [preview] How Henry James Influenced Edith Wharton - Both the 19th and 20th century authors of Henry James and Edith Wharton are commonly compared to one another and their works are criticized as being close to, if not, the same. For ten years, the two authors had been close friends and even traveled throughout France and Europe together looking for inspiration and new ideas. Wharton had never taken any type of criticism well. Eventually Edith Wharton sent her first written story, “The Line of Least Resistance,” to Henry James and she learned to accept criticism respectfully as one author to another.... [tags: Literacy Analysis ] :: 10 Works Cited [preview] The Governess in The Turn of the Screw - One of the most critically discussed works in twentieth-century American literature, The Turn of the Screw has inspired a variety of critical interpretations since its publication in 1898. Until 1934, the book was considered a traditional ghost story. Edmund Wilson, however, soon challenged that view with his assertions that The Turn of the Screw is a psychological study of the unstable governess whose visions of ghosts are merely delusions.

Wilson’s essay initiated a critical debate concerning the interpretation of the novel, which continues even today (Poupard 313).... [tags: The Turn of the Screw Essays] :: 1 Works Cited [preview] Daisy Miller - Daisy Miller is a story related by a young, American man named Winterborne, who lives mostly in Europe. Winterborne meets a lovely young lady named Daisy Miller at a Swiss resort in Vevey. He notices her naiveté, having no reservations about talking to strangers. He befriends this young girl very quickly. He would love to introduce her to his aunt, but she thinks that Daisy is common, vulgar, and refuses to meet her. Daisy and her family decide to leave the resort and visit Italy. Several months passe until Daisy speaks to him again.... [tags: Henry James, Daisy Miller] 934 words [preview] Solomon's The Return of the Screw - Solomon's The Return of the Screw Mrs. Grose, playing cleverly on the governess' visions, convinces her she is seeing Peter Quint and Ms. Jessel in an effort to drive her mad. At least, that is according to Eric Solomon's "The Return of the Screw." Mrs.

Grose tries to remove the governess to get to Flora. Mrs. Grose will do anything to gain control of Flora, as she proved when she murdered Peter Quint. He, along with Ms. Jessel, was too much of an influence on the children.... [tags: Solomon Return of the Screw] 798 words [preview] A Review of University Days by James Thurber - In the essay, “University Days” James Thurber does a sensational job keeping the reader’s interest throughout the entire story. He explains his college experiences in a way that makes the reader both interested and amused at the same time. Thurber portrays the message that the all-star football player was not the brightest bulb on the tree, which is humorous because many people can relate to that because it’s the same at their school. The author uses a creative writing style to try and capture his audience’s attention throughout the entire essay.... [tags: James Thurber] 1349 words [preview] The Inward Turn of Modernist Literature - Modernists did not have faith in the external reality put forth by social institutions, such as the government and religion, and they no longer considered these avenues as trustworthy means to discover the meaning of life.

For this reason they turned within themselves to discover the answers. Modernist literature is centered on the psychological experience as opposed to the external realities of the world. The experience is moved inwards in an attempt to make modernist works more representative of reality by making the experience more personal.... [tags: Literature, T. S. Eliot] :: 3 Works Cited [preview] James Joyce's The Dead - James Joyce's The Dead In The Dead, James Joyce lets symbolism flow freely throughout his short story. James Joyce utilizes his main characters and objects in The Dead to impress upon his readers his view of Dublin’s crippled condition. Not only does this apply to just The Dead, Joyce’s symbolic themes also exude from his fourteen other short stories that make up the rest of Joyce’s book, Dubliners, to describe his hometown’s other issues of corruption and death that fuel Dublin’s paralysis. After painting this grim picture of Dublin, James Joyce uses it to express his frustration and to explain his realistic view that the only solution to the issues with Dublin depends on a move to the W...

[tags: James Joyce Dead Essays] :: 4 Works Cited [preview] Cross Fire, by James Patterson - What would you do if you had a huge secret to hide. In the book Cross Fire, James Patterson demonstrates a secret that needs to be hidden for some time. Within doing this he also demonstrates a good example of a complete plot. On the other hand the book is mostly written in first person point of view. This has a major effect on the book, in the way it is used. In this complete plot there are five key elements. The first of these five elements is exposition. This is what happens first in the story and is what gives the reader key components.... [tags: Cross fires, James Patterson] :: 2 Works Cited [preview] James Joyce's Life and Accomplishments - James Joyce was a renowned Irish author and poet, most known for writing the book Ulysses, which parallels the events of The Odyssey in a variety of writing styles. Although Ulysses is considered his magnum opus, his other works including Dubliners, A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Finnegans Wake are held in high esteem by many.

Joyce was born in the Irish city of Dublin on the second of February, 1882 and was baptized by the order of his catholic mother and father three days later. By the age of five he had moved to the town of Bray, 12 miles outside of Dublin, there he was attacked by a dog and this sparked his lifelong cynophobia which may be suggested in Ulysses in episode 12... [tags: ulysses, the odyssey, james joyce] :: 2 Works Cited [preview] James Joyce’s Dubliners - James Joyce’s Dubliners is a collection of short stories that aims to portray middle class life in Dublin, Ireland in the early twentieth century. Most of the stories are written with themes such as entrapment, paralysis, and epiphany, which are central to the flow of the collection of stories as a whole. Characters are usually limited financially, socially, and/or by their environment; they realize near the end of each story that they cannot escape their unfortunate situation in Dublin.

These stories show Joyce’s negative opinion of the ancient Irish city .The final story, “The Dead,” was added later than the others; consequently, “The Dead” has a more positive tone and is often an exceptio... [tags: James Joyce] :: 5 Works Cited [preview] Fools Crow by James Welch - Fools Crow by James Welch We turn back the clock as Welch draws on historical sources and Blackfeet cultural stories in order to explore the past of his ancestors. As a result, he provides a basis for a new understanding of the past and the forces that led to the deciding factor of the Plains Indian tribes. Although Fools Crow reflects the pressure to assimilate inflicted by the white colonizers on the Blackfeet tribes, it also portrays the influence of economic changes during this period. The prosperity created by the hide trade does not ultimately protect the tribe from massacre by the white soldiers.... [tags: Fools Crow James Welch Essays] 2034 words [preview] James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room - James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room James Baldwin’s novel Giovanni’s Room is titled such for the purpose of accentuating the symbolism of Giovanni’s room.

Within the novel Giovanni’s room is portrayed with such characteristics as being Giovanni’s prison, symbolic of Giovanni’s life, holding the relationship between Giovanni and David, being a metaphor of homosexuality for David and being a tomb underwater. These different portrayals of Giovanni’s room are combined within the novel to create an overall negative metaphor of homosexuality as perpetuated by society.... [tags: James Baldwin Giovanni's room Essays] :: 1 Works Cited [preview] The Literary Works of Phyllis Dorothy James - Phyllis Dorothy James was born August 3, 1920 Oxford, England. James ended up moving to Wales and the moved to Cambridge, England. She was attending Cambridge high school for girls. Her family was not very wealthy and her dad did not believe in education beyond high school for girls. So James went to work for an tax office for three years. Then went and married Ernest Connor Bantry White in 1941. James and Ernest had two children, Claire and Jane. James was in her forties when her first novel, cover her face was published in 1962....

[tags: Essay on Phyllis Dorothy James] :: 3 Works Cited [preview] Daisy Miller: A Study, by Henry James - The controversial short story Daisy Miller: A Study, written by Henry James, depicts a story of a young European man named Winterbourne trying to come to terms with what he thinks about an American girl, named Daisy Miller. Henry James was born in New York in 1843, but lived most his life in Europe. While he was living in Europe he had many encounters with American tourists. After these encounters Henry decided he wanted to explore the difference between the innocent American, and the sophisticated European.... [tags: daisy miller, henry james] :: 4 Works Cited [preview] Peter Pan and James Matthew Barrie - Peter Pan is a timeless story written by J.M Barrie. In the time leading up to him writing this story, he was a successful author and playwright. Even with his great success, Barrie still had personal struggles from his marriage and childhood. Barrie used these struggles to write stories that people still enjoy today. Although Peter Pan is a happy children's story, J.M Barrie's inspiration for writing Peter Pan was not so positive.

James Matthew Barrie, or J.M Barrie, was born on May 9, 1860 in Kirriemuir, Scotland.... [tags: James Matthew Barrie] :: 4 Works Cited [preview] Analysis of The Novel Dubliners by James Joyce - In response to his publisher's suggested revisions to Dubliners, James Joyce "elevated his rhetoric to the nearly Evangelical [and wrote]: 'I seriously believe that you will retard the course of civilization in Ireland by preventing the Irish people from having one good look in my nicely polished looking-glass'"1. A pivotal part of this "looking-glass" is Joyce's representation of Dublin, which functions akin to an external unconsciousness in that a series of unrelated characters experience similar problems by virtue of their common connection to the city.... [tags: dublin, ireland, james joyce] :: 13 Works Cited [preview] The Philosophy of James Patterson - The Philosophy of James Patterson James Patterson should be included in an anthology because he has mastered the art of description and plot. Heâ€™s capable of creating lives in his books like no other author from past or present.

He has created a fictional world inside of his Alex Cross series, where many fans of his like to live. With each new book he can fill a mind with unbelievable detail and imagery. A small two book series, nicknamed the â€œbird booksâ€?, blew away many critics. With this mini-series he ventures into biotechnology and the worlds in its view on longevity.... [tags: James Patterson Description Plot Anthology Essays] :: 4 Works Cited [preview] Henry James' Washington Square - Henry James' Washington Square In Washington Square', Henry James used a refined technique of narration, language, symbolism and irony as he explored the psychological dimensions of his characters' actions, motivations and interpersonal relationships. He did so as he confronted the tragedy of the immorality of human beings, personified in the characters of Dr. Sloper and Morris Townsend, in dominating the spirit of Sloper's daughter, Catherine, for their own ends. In other works of fiction where the oppressive circumstances of protagonists usually arise from failures of society and within the specific individual there is often an optimism to the extent that it is suggested that progress m...

[tags: Henry James Washington Square Analysis] 1413 words [preview] Gus in James Duncan's The River Why - Gus in James Duncan's The River Why James Duncan’s book entitled, The River Why, focuses around the main character, Gus, and how he changes throughout the book. In this book Gus is discovering what life really is and that the whole world does not revolve around fishing. After moving out of his erratic house he spends all of his time fishing at his remote cabin, but this leaves him unhappy and a little insane. He embarks on a search for him self and for his own beliefs. Duncan changes Gus throughout the book, making Gus realize that there are more important things to life than fishing, and these things can lead to a happy fulfilled life, which in turn will help Gus enjoy life and fishing mo...

[tags: James Duncan River Why Essays] 2336 words [preview] Use of Language in James Joyce's Ulysses - Use of Language in James Joyce's Ulysses In his essay “The Decomposing Form of Joyce’s Ulysses,” Henry Staten has argued “that Ulysses achieves some of its most characteristic effects by pressing the internal logic of mimesis to the limit, above all through onomatopoeia, which manifests in a peculiarly condensed way the self-contradictory character of the realist project” (Staten 174-5). Mimetic narrative and method are undone by an onomatopoeiac mode, which is conceived by Stephen “as the pure self-expression or self-annunciation of reality” (175): “Signatures of all things I am here to read, seaspawn and seawrack, the nearing tide…” (Ulysses 3.2-3, emphasis added)....

[tags: James Joyce Ulysses Decomposition Essays] :: 1 Works Cited [preview] Life Choices in Captain Mack & Billy Mack’s War By James Roy - Captain Mack and Billy Mack’s War by James Roy are both "heart warming and thought provoking" (Reading Time) insights into the tangles of childhood and early adolescence. Published by University of Queensland Press (UQP) in 1999 and 2004 respectively, both explore the theme of how choices define who we are and what we become. Both of these books explore unlikely friendships, with two central characters in completely different settings, they are intriguingly written in a mixture of narrative methods but are a relaxed and enjoyable read.... [tags: James Roy] 1637 words

Question: What ambiguous 1898 ghost story ends with the governess of Bly House holding the body of a dead child in her hands?
Answer: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James